Jamaican Creole

Jamaican Creole or Patois is the language of Jamaica. It is one of three Jamaican African and English base languages. The other two are Kromanti and Maroon Spirit Language, both are language of the Jamaican Maroon societies. Jamaican Creole or Patois is the most spoken of the three. Jamaican Creole does not have an orthography.

The language had its beginnings in the 17th century, with massive importation of slaves. Between 1677-1703 , the black population started outnumbering the white population from Britain, Ireland, and the Americas. By 1739, enslaved Africans to white numbered 10 to 1 or 99,000 to 10,000. The creole would have developed during the latter period but earliest written records date to the early 1800s to 1850s.

Jamaican English Creole takes influences from a variety of English vernaculars. Irish and Scottish English were most influential as well as working-class speech of London, Bristol, the West Midlands and Liverpool. Jamaican Creole was also influence by African languages, especially Twi, sub-group of the Akan. In the rural regions of Jamaica, a fuller more complete version of the tongue is found.